Chapter 53

Raoul’s POV

**“Is everything ok Sammy?”** Ayanna asks Samantha. We can all sense her apprehension about going to the arena, for the meeting with Percy. **“I don’t know, if I want to know; what is happening to Bea”** she tells her. **“It’s the only way to understand. We can’t come up with a solution, without understanding the problem”** Ayanna says; purring in her head to calm her down. “You don’t have to go; I can take over the meeting.” I tell her. Rapa goes to Ayanna’s sanctuary and nudges Sam. “I know I need to find out as well; but….” She trails off. “Stay here. I will pass on your condolences and we can talk when I get back. If I think it’s safe to tell you; I will.” I smile. She puts her arms around me and I give her a kiss on the top of her head.

“I will see you in a bit” kissing her again and head out the door.

I see Kevin and Percy in the foyer; “you must be Percy; I’m Raoul, Samantha’s mate. It’s nice to meet you.” “Where’s Sam?” Kevin asks. “She is not 100 per cent so she sends her condolences; are we ready to go?” Percy takes a breath; “my psychiatrist said this is a good way to deal with what happened. I guess I should be ready” he tells us. “I am here for you, Perce” Kevin encourages.

We head out the double doors and over to the arena. “Is Sam, ok?” Kevin asks me. “Yes; she is just overwhelmed by everything” I tell him. There was silence for the rest of the walk over. I sensed both Kevin and Percy were apprehensive as well.

We get to the door of the Leader’s Room; all the leaders are waiting patiently with their seconds, thirds and mates. I go to the front of the room with Kevin and Percy and give Judy a hug. “Samantha is feeling a bit overwhelmed, we will proceed without her, for the time being” I whisper to her and Bronson.

“If everyone can take your seats; Samantha sends her condolences, she has another issue to contend with” I call out over the room. Everyone moves to their chair and sits down. “Thank you to Percy and Doctor Spencer for coming to speak with us. It is important we know what we are dealing with regarding Lace; what affects it has on both human and animal and how we can avoid taking the drug. Percy, you have the room.”

“Hello, as you know I’m Percy and I am a panther shifter. My Panther, Liam and I would like to share our experience with you all. I am a bit hesitant…” “You will not be judged here Percy or you too Liam; people do not understand when you are an addict; it’s a disease. You will not be cured overnight and it’s a fight and struggle for you every day to stay clean” Doctor Spencer interrupts.

He smiles at Sophia and continues “I am a bit hesitant; where to start.” “At the beginning would be good; what was the reason you tried Lace in the first place?” Seth asks him. “Ok; I was young and naive. I had just met my mate Trudy and gone through her first heat, where she fell pregnant with our son Kyle. I was scared about becoming a father and was approached by a bear shifter in a local bar near our territory. He told me; I should try this pill; it will calm my nerves. I thought it was harmless really.”

“A bear shifter?” Brian voices; looking at Seth. “Yes, I do not know his name or what Clan he came from. I had only met him the once. The issue isn’t the drug on us as human form, it is the affects it has on our counterparts. The drug did not affect me; it affected Liam. When I first took it; Liam changed. It was a slow process but it got to a point, he would demand I get it for him and if I refused, we would struggle in my mind and he would barricade me out and purchase the drugs himself. Have any of you witnessed what can happen when you internally fight with your counterpart for dominance over one body? Witnessed it from an outsider’s perspective?”

“I have seen it” Timothy says standing up. “Sebastian and Benji. When I was taken in Toby’s place, I had threatened to do more than throw him across a room to Aubrey. He came into the room, fists ready. He stopped dead and fell to the floor screaming; his hands and legs were flailing all over the place until Benji stood up and spoke with me.”

“What you witnessed; imagine you have a two-year son looking on every time that happened.” Percy pauses for a moment, “Liam would like to share his thoughts with you” his closes his eyes and opens them again. Liam’s green eyes, replacing Percy’s blue.

“Percy did not know much of what happened when I was out; I had barricaded him majority of the time. The drug is addictive to the animal of the shifter. The drug dealers target weak minded individuals; individuals they know their counterparts can easily overpower. Unlike others; Percy’s mind was not weak. I had him pushed away most of the time I was on it. I would let him out only to talk to Trudy to get money. I was in the forefront of his mind when he asked her. The last time this happened; she was holding Kyle in her arms; when she refused, I had come out and grabbed him. I hadn’t pushed him out completely and he fought me; barricaded me before I could harm our cub. I was pounding on the barricade and you know it can be very loud. Percy refused to let me out. They sort the help I needed” Liam said and closed his eyes. When he opened them again; they were blue.

“I don’t understand; if you were strong minded; why keep giving Liam the drug?” Renee pipes in. “When I first took the drug, it made Liam happy, content and soft in my mind. Happy Panther; happy human. I took one to begin with; when the effects of the drug wore off; Liam wanted to feel that again. I started taking one every few months; leading to every month to every few weeks until it was a daily occurrence. By that stage; I could be in nothingness in my mind for days on end. I wasn’t feeling the effects at the beginning, so I thought what harm was I doing. I didn’t realise I was doing a lot of harm to those I loved; especially Liam, Trudy and Kyle. When he threatened Trudy and Kyle; I knew I had to put a stop to it once and for all. Protecting those I love was the one thing I was able to use to push him back and stop him.”

“I have something to add” Doctor Spencer says. “You asked me; my thoughts on what can happen. The drugs I use in the hospital to help my patients are designed for our wolf; bear and cat. It needs to be, so our counterparts can do the necessary healing for our humans. It sounds to me; Lace is very much targeted exactly like that. Who you should be looking at is a pharmacist? Someone who knows how to make drugs to affect our counterparts, not our humans.”

“I have a question” Nathanial voices; we all turn to look at him. “Liam said the dealer targets those that are weak minded and they know the counterpart can overpower. And you, Percy; was saying that you barricaded Liam and kept it up until you could get him help. What if there was a way to cage a counterpart; would that work to stop the affects to get help?” We all looked at one another; knowing where Nathanial was heading with his question.

“I guess, but what can cage a counterpart?” Percy responds; the rest of the room said in unison “No More Wolf Serum.”